NSA: Car failed to stop before police opened fire

Officers opened fire after two men dressed as women refused to stop a stolen vehicle Monday at the National Security Agency gate at Fort Meade and then smashed into a police vehicle blocking the road, officials said.

Officers open fire after two men dressed as women refuse to stop a stolen car at the National Security Agency gate at Fort Meade and then smashed into a police vehicle blocking the road, officials said.

The incident happened at the NSA entrance to Fort Meade. Officials close to the case told 11 News that the suspects were dressed as women and that there were plenty of chances for the incident to end nonviolently.

The FBI said the men were dressed as women but not in an attempt to disguise themselves from authorities.

The NSA released a statement Monday afternoon saying the driver of the sport utility vehicle, Hall, disobeyed instructions from an NSA police officer and failed to stop shortly before 9 a.m. Authorities deployed barriers at the gate as the SUV accelerated toward an NSA police vehicle blocking the road.

NSA police fired at the SUV, which crashed into the NSA police vehicle.

Hall was pronounced dead at the scene. A cause of death was not immediately determined. According to court records, Hall has a criminal history in Baltimore City. He was found guilty of robbery in August 2013.

The passenger in the SUV was taken to a hospital.

One NSA police officer was injured and was taken to a hospital. He has since been released.

THIS IS 11 NEWS AT 6:00 P.M. [CAPTIONING MADE POSSIBLE BY CONSTELLATION ENERGY GROUP] [CAPTIONING PERFORMED BY THE NATIONAL CAPTIONING INSTITUTE, WHICH IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ITS CAPTION CONTENT AND ACCURACY. VISIT NCICAP.ORG] DONNA: A SHOOTING AT THE GATES OF THE NSA. ONE PERSON IS DEAD. WHAT ARE REPORTERS ARE LEARNING ON THE GROUND. THANKS FOR STAYING WITH US. I AND DONNA HAMILTON. STAN: I'M STAN STOVALL. THE BAZAAR INCIDENT BEGAN THIS MORNING. TWO MEN DRESSED AS WOMEN DROVE UP TO THE GATES AT THE NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCY. THAT IS WHERE OFFICIALS SAY THE SUSPECT VEHICLE ACCELERATED TOWARDS A POLICE VEHICLE AND SHOTS WERE FIRED. THIS IS AN ACTIVE SEEN TONIGHT AND OUR NEWS TEAM HAS BEEN WORKING THE STORY ALL DAY. DONNA: DAVID COLLINS SPOKE TO A NUMBER OF PEOPLE AFFECTED BY THE SHOOTS OUT -- THE SHOOTOUT, BUT WE START WITH LOWELL MELSER. LOWELL: UNFORTUNATELY, THE FBI IS REALLY NOT RELEASING TOO MUCH INFORMATION CONCERNING THE SUSPECTS OR WHY THEY TRIED TO RAM THEIR WAY INTO THE NSA EARLIER THIS MORNING. OFFICIALS CLOSE TO THE CASE TELL US THE INCIDENT DID IN FACT HAPPEN AT THE NSA GATE AT FORT MEADE. THEY WERE DRESSED AS WOMEN AND THERE WERE ALSO PLENTY OF CHANCES TO MAKE THIS AND NONVIOLENTLY -- END NONVIOLENTLY. IT WAS JUST BEFORE 9:00 A.M. MONDAY WHEN A VEHICLE WITH TWO PEOPLE INSIDE TRY TO MAKE AN UNAUTHORIZED ENTRY AT THE NSA GATE AT FORT MEADE. THE DRIVER DID NOT LISTEN TO AND NSA POLICE OFFICER'S INSTRUCTIONS TO PROPERLY EXIT THE CAMPUS AND WHEN THE VEHICLE FAILED TO STOP, BARRIERS WERE DEPLOYED. THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED OUT OF THE GATE TOWARDS IN NSA POLICE SUV THAT WAS BLOCKING THE ROAD. THIS PROMPTED POLICE TO FIRE AT THE VEHICLE, WHICH CRASHED INTO THAT SUV. ONE OF THE SUSPECTS DIED AT THE SCENE. THE OTHER WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL HOSPITAL, ALONG WITH AN NSA POLICE OFFICER. TRAFFIC WAS BACKED UP AS POLICE SECURITY PERIMETER. A SENIOR U.S. OFFICIAL CONFIRMED THE TWO SUSPECTS WERE DRESSED AS WOME N AND THE VEHICLE WAS A STOLEN FORD ESCAPE REGISTERED IN MARYLAND AND AT LEASE ONE WEAPON AND DRUGS WERE DISCOVERED INSIDE THE VEHICLE. HOWARD COUNTY POLICE HAVE CONFIRMED THE VEHICLE WAS STOLEN FROM A HOTEL IN JESSUP AFTER SOURCES SAY THE SUSPECTS ROBBED SOMEONE THERE. THE FBI THE PULLING ITS EVIDENCE RESPONSE TEAM SAYS -- DEPLOYING IS EVIDENCE RESPONSE TEAM SAYS THERE IS NO REASON TO BELIEVE THE INCIDENT IS RELATED TO TERRORISM. THERE IS STILL NOT CLEAR WHY THE SUSPECTS ATTEMPTED TO ENTER THE FACILITY, SOMETHING THE FBI IS NOT SHEDDING LIGHT ON AT THIS POINT. THE FBI, WHICH CONTINUES TO INVESTIGATE AT THIS HOUR, APPARENTLY IS WORKING WITH THE U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE TO DETERMINE IF THAT SURVIVING SUSPECT SHOULD BE CHARGED FEDERALLY. WE ARE LIVE OUTSIDE OF FORT NEED. LOWELL MELSER, -- FORT MEADE. LOWELL MELSER, WBAL-TV 11 NEWS. DONNA: THOUSANDS OF EMPLOYEES WORK AT FORT MEADE, MAKING THIS MORNING AND UNCOMFORTABLE. DAVID: WE HAVE FOUND THAT EVEN THOUGH POLICE HANDLED THE EMERGENCY QUICKLY AND COMPLETELY, FRAYED NERVES RULED THE DAY. FORT MEADE JUST ADD QUARTERS -- IS THE HEADQUARTERS FOR THE NSA AND CYBER SECURITY AGENCIES. THE CAMPUS IS MORE THAN A MILITARY POST. IT IS HOME TO 10,000 MILITARY PERSONNEL, SOME FAMILY MEMBERS, AND CIVILIANS. THE ATTEMPTED INTRUSION AND SUBSEQUENT SHOOTING HAS MANY RATTLED. IS WEIRD. YOU NEVER KNOW IF IT IS GOING TO BE JOW S -- JOE SCHMO OR IF IT IS SOMEONE WORKING THERE OR SOMEONE ANGRY AT WHAT THE GOVERNMENT IS DOING. DAVID: MORE THAN 8000 CONTRACTORS WORK ON THE POST. THEY KNOW HOW TIGHT SECURITY IS. WE HAVE TO GO THROUGH CHECKPOINTS ALL THE TIME. WE HAVE CONSTRUCTION VEHICLE PASSES SO WE CAN GO THROUGH MOST OF THE GATES, BUT IF IT IS A COMMERCIAL VEHICLE, WE HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE CHECKPOINT WITH THE DOGS AND EVERYTHING. DAVID: THE HIGH SCHOOL ON CAMPUS IMMEDIATELY PUT OUT AN ALERT TO FACULTY AND STAFF THERE WAS AN INCIDENT. SCHOOL IS IN SESSION TO MAKE UP FOR A SNOW DAY. IS A LITTLE SCARY. I THINK SOMETIMES WE FORGET THAT WE ARE ON A MILITARY BASE. IT IS SCARY. SOMEBODY MADE A BAD DECISION. DAVID: AS FAR AS SAFETY IS CONCERNED, THE NSA ISSUED A STATEMENT THAT SAYS IN PART THAT RESIDENTS, SERVICE MEMBERS, AND CIVILIAN EMPLOYEES ARE SAFE. THE NSA CONTINUES TO REMAIN VIGILANT AT ALL ACCESS POINTS. REPORTING LIVE FROM FORT MEADE, DAVID COLLINS, WBAL-TV 11 NEWS. DONNA: YOU CAN SEE MORE PHOTOS

The FBI, which is leading the investigation, released a statement Monday, saying: "FBI Baltimore is investigating a shooting incident which occurred this morning at a gate at the National Security Agency at Fort Meade just off (Route) 295 in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. The shooting scene is contained and we do not believe it is related to terrorism. We are investigating with NSA Police and other law enforcement agencies. Our Evidence Response Team is processing the crime scene, and FBI agents are doing joint interviews with witnesses. We are working with the US Attorney's Office in Maryland to determine if federal charges are warranted. We have no further information at this time to release."

Col. Brian Foley, Fort Meade garrison commander, also released a statement Monday, saying: "The incident has been contained and is under investigation. The residents, service members and civilian employees on the installation are safe. We continue to remain vigilant at all of our access control points."

On Tuesday, the FBI said investigators are conducting interviews, following leads and collecting evidence as part of the ongoing investigation.

Police: SUV stolen from Elkridge motel

NBC News reported that a search of the vehicle, a stolen Ford Escape registered in Maryland, turned up a gun and some drugs. Howard County police told 11 News on Monday that the vehicle was stolen Monday morning from a hotel off Route 1 in Jessup.

On Tuesday, Howard County police released more information about the SUV, saying it was reported stolen from the Terrace Motel in the 6200 block of Washington Boulevard in Elkridge around 8:30 a.m.

Howard County police said the SUV's owner, a 60-year-old Baltimore man, told police he had picked up two men who were dressed as women and had driven them to the motel, where he checked in around 7:30 a.m. After an hour, the men left the room and took the victim's SUV.

One man who said he was in the area at the time said he witnessed something odd right before the incident.

"This SUV he pulls on the side of the road and some guy come out of the bushes dressed in a rag around his head and it looks like he had a skirt on," the man said.

The man said the men in the SUV were screaming loud as they sped toward the NSA security gate.

Transgender community reflects on Hall's life

Members of the transgender community who knew Hall as Mya went to what they call "The Bando" on Tuesday. It's an abandoned apartment building where Hall lived as a transgender person in the 2200 block of North Charles Street in Baltimore.

Jamia Leonard said she has known Hall for about eight months.

"It's overwhelming to me. It's an eye-opener, first of all, because that could have been anybody being in a situation like that, not to say that just anybody would steal a car, but we could be in a bad situation and not in a good head-space," Leonard said. "I'm sure that they didn't leave their house knowing that they wouldn't come home that day or that that would be the end."

Leonard said she saw Hall about 12 hours before the incident at the NSA.

"In the last couple of days, I knew something was wrong. I didn't know exactly what was going on but I could hear him talking out of his head. He would travel from this abandoned house to another high-rise right down the street back and forth, and back and forth," Leonard said. "It's terrible that she lost her life, it's terrible that the cops had to be involved. At the end of the day, this doesn't solve anything, it's just another tragedy and it's unfortunate."

Fort Meade community alarmed

Fort Meade is the headquarters for the NSA and other intelligence and cybersecurity agencies. The 8-square-mile campus is also home to 10,000 military personnel, some of their family members and civilians.

The attempted unauthorized intrusion of one of the NSA gates and subsequent shooting has many rattled.

"It's weird that you never know if it is going to be Joe Schmoe or if it is actually going to be somebody that's working there or just somebody that's angry at whatever the government is doing. That's the confusing thing," said Angie Pietrusza, of Anne Arundel County.

More than 8,000 contractors work on the post. They know firsthand how tight security is on a daily basis.

"We have to go through checkpoints all the time. We have a construction vehicle pass so we can go through most of the gates, but then if it is a commercial vehicle, we have to go through a checkpoint where they have dogs sniffing," said Tommy Benton, a contractor from North Carolina.

The high school on campus immediately put out an alert to faculty and staff that an incident had occurred. School was in session to make up for a snow day.

"It's a little scary, I think, that sometimes we forget that we are on a military base and there are outside threats," said Xiomara Patel, who works at Meade Senior High School.

Traffic was backed up for miles on nearby Route 295 as NSA police secured a perimeter around the scene.

A RANGE OF EMOTIONS OVER TRAFFIC CONGESTION. A DEADLY SHOOTING AT THE NSA HEADQUARTERS IN FORT MEADE. AUTHORITIES HAVE NOT SAID WHY TWO MEN TRIED TO ENTER THE CAMPUS WITHOUT PERMISSION. IT ENDED WITH ONE SUSPECT DEAD AND ANOTHER INJURED. GEORGE HAS MORE DETAILS. GEORGE: THE FBI IS LEADING THIS INVESTIGATION. IT PUBLICLY STILL HAS A LOT OF UNANSWERED QUESTIONS. FEDERAL OFFICIALS SAY THE DRIVER OF THE DARK-COLORED SUV AT THE CENTER OF YOUR SCREEN DROVE UP TO THE HEAVILY GUARDED GATE TO THE NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCY AND DISOBEYED COMMANDS FROM POLICE OFFICERS WHO TRIED TO DIRECT THE SUV TO LEAVE. THAT IS WHEN OFFICIALS SAY THE SUV KEPT ACCELERATING, BLOCKING THE ROAD, AND THAT IS WHEN OFFICERS OPENED FIRE. AT SOME POINT THE SUV AND THE POLICE VEHICLE COLLIDED. SOURCES SAY THE MEN INSIDE WERE DRESSED AS WOMEN WITH WIGS ON. COCAINE AND A HANDGUN WERE FOUND. THIS MAN WAS IN THE AREA AT THE TIME AND WITNESSED SOMETHING ODD RIGHT BEFORE THE INCIDENT. HE PULLS OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND SOME GUY COMES OUT OF THE BUSHES. IT LOOKED LIKE HE HAD A SKIRT ON. THE MEN IN THE SUV WERE SCREAMING LOUD AS THEY SPED TO THE SECURITY GATE. AUTHORITIES SAY ONE OF THE MEN DIED DURING THE ALTERCATION. THE OTHER WAS INJURED AND TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL. POLICE CONFIRMED THE SUV WAS STOLEN SOMETIME MONDAY MORNING FROM ONE OF THE HOTELS. THE FBI DOES NOT THINK THIS IS RELATED TO TERRORISM. SO FAR THE IDENTITIES OF THE MEN AND THE SUV AND THE POLICE OFFICER HAVE NOT BEEN RELEASED. THANK YOU. FORT MEADE IS THE HOME OF THE NSA, BUT OTHER AGENCIES ARE ALSO BASED THERE. IT SITS ON AN EIGHT SQUARE MILE CAMPUS AND HOUSES 10,000 PERSONNEL AND CIVILIANS.

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The defense case lasted less than two days, while the prosecution presented more than 90 witnesses over the course of a month.

Federal prosecutors rested their case Monday with grisly testimony about how the bomb Dzhokhar Tsarnaev placed near the marathon's finish line tore through the bodies of 8-year-old Martin Richard and Lingzi Lu, a 23-year-old grad student.

The short presentation in the sensational trial wasn't surprising, given that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's attorney, Judy Clarke, acknowledged during opening statements that "it was him," referring to her client's culpability.

Testimony ended with an FBI fingerprint investigator who talked about numerous pieces of evidence with Tamerlan's fingerprints and not Dzhokhar's.

Earlier, a computer expert testified about computer searches on Tamerlan's computer -- including gun stores, transmitters, fireworks firing system, detonator and Boston Marathon -- in the weeks before the bombing. Similar searches were not found on Dzhokhar's computer.

Jurors first will be asked to determine whether Tsarnaev is guilty of 30 counts. Because 17 of those counts carry the death penalty as a possible punishment, a second phase of the trial will follow if the jury convicts him.

In the penalty phase, jurors will be asked to weigh aggravating factors, such as the heinousness of the crime, versus mitigating factors, such as Tsarnaev's family history and his youth. He was 19 at the time of the bombings.

Defense strategy focuses on sibling's influence

The defense, which began calling witnesses Monday afternoon, has argued that Tsarnaev, known to friends as Jahar, fell under the sway of his more extremist older brother after their parents moved back to Russia. Jahar Tsarnaev was flunking out of the University of Massachusetts and had lost his financial aid at the time of the bombings.

Prosecutors William Weinreb, Aloke Chakravarty, Nadine Pellegrini and Steve Mellin presented witnesses who told the story of Tsarnaev's alleged scheme with Tamerlan to build and detonate pressure cooker bombs as an act of jihad. The brothers, Muslims of Chechen descent, allegedly sought to kill Americans at an iconic public event to retaliate against U.S. policies they believed harmed and oppressed Muslims abroad.

Prosecutors delved into Tsarnaev's text messages and Twitter posts and showed jurors militant material found in his laptop, phone and iPod. They included writings available online from top leaders of al Qaeda.

They used data mined from a GPS device and store receipts to trace the purchase of the pressure cookers, BBs and ammunition. Jurors saw photos of pressure cooker parts, fuses, Christmas lights and other bombmaking materials found in the Tsarnaev family's Cambridge apartment, where Tamerlan lived with his wife and child.

And they showed security surveillance videos of the brothers in the crowd near the finish line: In one, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev can be seen blending in with the crowd behind the Richard family for four minutes. He appears to slide a backpack off his shoulder near a tree and walk off, glancing over his shoulder. He broke into a run as the bomb went off.

After the surveillance photos were released to the public three days after the bombing, the brothers allegedly embarked on a desperate -- and deadly -- attempt to escape.

Jurors heard from carjacking victim Dun Meng and saw the brothers on convenience store surveillance video shortly before Meng's escape. He can be seen jumping out of his leased Mercedes SUV at a gas pump and running across the screen as Dzhokhar Tsarnaev casually strolls through the store, picking up an armload of snacks.

Prosecutors also used ballistic evidence to link the brothers to the shooting of a campus cop at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a gunbattle with police in Watertown.

Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, died as a result of that gunbattle. The defendant, allegedly attempting to run down police, instead ran over his brother in the stolen Mercedes.

Jurors also viewed a boat in which Dzhokhar Tsarnaev sought refuge during the ensuing manhunt, which put Boston under a "shelter in place" lockdown.

He used a pencil to scrawl what prosecutors called his "manifesto" on the sides of the boat. It was pocked with bullet holes and streaked with blood.

He wrote he was jealous that his brother had achieved paradise by dying like a holy warrior in the gunbattle with police. He asked God to make him a martyr, too.

Tsarnaev has pleaded not guilty, although his attorneys do not dispute that he participated in the bombings. Clarke asked jurors in her opening statement to keep their minds open to an alternative explanation.

The defense began its case with two witnesses called to offer scenarios that differ from the version of events offered by FBI witnesses. One focused on the the defendant's Twitter posts a year before the marathon, including mundane matters such as whether he should sleep in or get breakfast.

Another challenged the way the FBI used GPS points and store receipts to document the purchase of pressure cookers, BBs and ammunition -- allegedly by Tamerlan Tsarnaev.

French magazine Paris Match and German newspaper Bild reported that a video recovered from a cell phone at the wreckage site showed the inside of the plane moments before it crashed.

"One can hear cries of 'My God' in several languages. Metallic banging can also be heard more than three times, perhaps of the pilot trying to open the cockpit door with a heavy object. Towards the end, after a heavy shake, stronger than the others, the screaming intensifies. Then nothing," Paris Match reports.

The two publications described the video, which they said was found by a source close to the investigation, but did not post it on their websites.

Lt. Col. Jean-Marc Menichini, a French Gendarmerie spokesman in charge of communications on rescue efforts around the Germanwings crash site, told CNN that the reports were "completely wrong" and "unwarranted." Cell phones have been collected at the site, he said, but that they "hadn't been exploited yet."

Menichini said he believed the cell phones would need to be sent to the Criminal Research Institute in Rosny sous Bois, near Paris, in order to be analyzed by specialized technicians working hand-in-hand with investigators. But none of the cellphones found so far have been sent to the institute, Menichini said.

Asked whether rescue staff could have leaked a memory card to the media, Menichini answered with a categorical "no".

Airline: Co-pilot reported depression

Lufthansa, meanwhile, announced that co-pilot Andreas Lubitz told his Lufthansa flight training school in 2009 that he had a "previous episode of severe depression."

The airline is sharing that information and documents -- including training and medical records -- with public prosecutors.

Authorities have said Lubitz purposely crashed Flight 9525 into the French Alps on March 24, killing all 150 people aboard.

His girlfriend knew he had psychological issues but "did not know the extent of the problems," a European government official briefed on the investigation into last week's crash told CNN on Tuesday.

The girlfriend told investigators the couple were working through the issues together and "were optimistic" they could solve the problems; she was just as surprised as everyone else by what he did to the plane, the source says.

The girlfriend also told investigators Lubitz had seen an eye doctor and a neuropsychologist, both of whom deemed him unfit to work recently and concluded he had psychological issues, according to the source.

Lubitz complained about vision problems; the eye doctor diagnosed a psychosomatic disorder and gave him an "unfit for work" note, the source said.

Investigators are looking into whether Lubitz feared his medical condition would cause him to lose his pilot's license, the source said, adding that while flying was "a big part of his life," it's only one theory being considered.

Another source, a law enforcement official briefed on the investigation, told CNN that authorities believe the primary motive for Lubitz to bring down the plane was that he feared he would not be allowed to fly because of his medical problems.

Too stressed?

Lubitz told the neuropsychologist that he was too stressed with work, the European government official briefed on the investigation said.

The official said he was not aware of any suicidal tendencies reported by Lubitz to the doctors, but that investigators believe he was suicidal.

Airline officials have said that if Lubitz went to a doctor on his own, he would have been required to self-report if deemed unfit to fly.

The European government official also reiterated that German media tabloid reports that the girlfriend is pregnant or had major personal problems are all speculation and rumor.

The girlfriend and the co-pilot had not, as was widely reported by some media, broken up the day before the crash, the source said.

Official: Lubitz had suicidal tendencies

Earlier, a spokesman for the prosecutor's office in Dusseldorf said Lubitz suffered from suicidal tendencies at some point before his aviation career.

Investigators have not found any writings or conversations where Lubitz shared his motives or confessed to any plans, prosecutor's spokesman Christoph Kumpa said. However, medical records reveal that Lubitz was suicidal at one time and underwent psychotherapy. This was before he ever got his pilot's license, Kumpa said.

Kumpa emphasized there's no evidence suggesting Lubitz was suicidal or acting aggressively before the crash.

The prosecutor's office confirmed what some media outlets had reported about doctors deeming Lubitz unfit to fly, though there were no physical illnesses found.

Recovery efforts continue

While investigators search for clues to Lubitz's motivation, recovery workers continue the grim task of searching for the remains of those killed in the March 24 crash.

Menichini, the Gendarmerie spokesman, told CNN that a new path has been completed linking Le Vernet, a nearby community, to the mountainous ravine where the plane's debris is scattered.

It will be used by rescue teams to access the area, he said.

Capt. Yves Naffrechoux, also of the Gendarmerie unit, said Monday that the 1-kilometer path would cut down on the time it takes to reach the crash site considerably.

The trip will now take 30 minutes from Seyne-les-Alps, the staging post for the operation, with less walking involved and thus less fatigue, but also with fewer risks than helicopter transfers.

Two helicopters are still working in case weather conditions improve and allow them to fly, Menichini said.

The remains of at least 78 people on board the plane have been identified so far using DNA analysis.

Naffrechoux warned Monday that "it may not be possible to find the human remains of all the 150 passengers, as some of them may have been pulverized by the crash."

But French President Francois Hollande, speaking alongside German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin, was more positive, saying that it should be possible to identify all the victims by the end of the week.

A simple stone memorial has been set up at Le Vernet, where grieving relatives of those killed have laid flowers and held prayers.

The opening of the road, which must still be paved, will eventually allow family members also to reach the spot where their loved ones died.

Authorities say there are some 26 families of six different nationalities in the area Tuesday.

However, Patricia Willaert, head of the Alpes de Haute-Provence district, told reporters that Lubitz's family was not among those to have come since the crash.

"There had been some rumors, but they have not come to the site," she said. "The family of the co-pilot has not come. We have no knowledge of information informing us of that."

Willaert said some 450 people close to the victims had already traveled to the area, with more expected to come during the Easter weekend.

"The priority has been to welcome them in the best possible way," she said. She praised the mobilization of local citizens, who spontaneously offered 2,000 beds to accommodate the victims' families.

German investigators and French criminal investigators are due to work together at the crash site Wednesday, Dusseldorf police said.

Medical record emerging

Much attention has focused on Lubitz's state of mind, with suggestions that he may have had mental health issues.

Lubitz, 27, passed his annual pilot recertification medical examination in summer 2014, a German aviation source told CNN. He had started working as a commercial pilot in 2013, said Lufthansa, the parent company of Germanwings.

An official with Lufthansa said that the exam only tests physical health, not psychological health.

It's unknown whether Lubitz mentioned his problems on a form that asks yes-or-no questions about physical and mental illness, suicide attempts and medications. European pilots must fill out the form to be recertified.

Federal aviation authorities, not the airline, issue the form. The form is privileged information, and Lufthansa never sees a pilot's completed form, an airline representative said.

The airline would only get a "clear to fly" notice from the aviation doctors alerting the airline that a pilot has completed recertification.

Safety investigation

France's accident investigation agency, the BEA, said Tuesday that the ongoing safety investigation was focusing on a more detailed analysis of the flight history leading up to the crash, based on the audio recovered from the cockpit voice recorder and any other available data.

BEA spokeswoman Martine Del Bono told CNN: "A deliberate act by a man with a disturbed psychological profile is a possible scenario. The first step of the investigation is to describe more precisely what happened."

This will be based mainly on analysis of the cockpit voice recorder, to be supplemented by data from the flight data recorder if it is found, she said.

"But we will also look at other events with possibly similar scenarios, try to understand if there are systemic weaknesses which may contribute or facilitate such scenarios.

"We will in particular look at the cockpit door locking as well as the criteria and procedures applied to detect specific psychological profiles."

Lufthansa said in a statement Tuesday that it was canceling its 60th anniversary celebrations, planned for April 15.

Instead, the company will provide a live broadcast for its employees of an official state ceremony to be held April 17 in Cologne Cathedral for bereaved families and friends to remember the victims, it said.